The Darkest Shadow
by VolatileSublime
Summary: The Warriors find another piece of the Prophecy, and it points to the existence of more armors and a new evil. Will they be able to handle the chaos?


Author's Notes: Wow, a re-vamp. ^^ I could not see myself doing this originally, but here I am! For that matter, I could not see myself totally dropping this fic for 6+ months, but, due to personal circumstances, I did. And I apologize. It was unfair of me to do that, when I know that there were some of you out there who genuinely wanted to see what happened with this storyline, with these characters.  
  
One of the problems I had that kept me from continuing this was that I had a falling-out with my collaborator, and even now am no longer speaking to her. I am fine with it, I thank you for whatever condolences you give, but as far as I was concerned, it was going to happen sooner or later. It just decided to happen sooner, rather than later. So, to quote Monty Python, "The credits have been completed in an entirely different style at great expense and at the last minute." Please, please r/r!! It makes my day and keeps the chapters actually coming! If you wish to IM or e-mail me, I enjoy that as well! Now, on with the fic!  
  
(Standard disclaimers apply.)  
  
Words lke //this// are read.  
  
------------  
  
"What the HELL?!" Rowen pulled his glasses off and threw them across the room. "I can't make heads or tails of this crap!"  
  
"And you're supposed to be our genius," Ryo quipped as he suppressed a yawn. "I knew from the start we were screwed."  
  
Rowen gave him the most blood-freezing glare he could muster at that early hour. "Your confidence in me is absolutely touching," he murmured icily.  
  
"Yeah, whatever," the black-haired boy muttered, though his repartee was almost drowned out by the sound of Kento licking the excess powdered sugar from the wrapping of the mini donuts he had gorged upon.  
  
The all-too-familiar rustling of the morning paper interrupted Rowen's reply, just before the door closed and a cockney accent issued forth from the blond who was heralded by said paper. "Oh, sod off, tha two o' ya..."  
  
"You've been practicing your accent, I see," Rowen replied conversationally as he adjusted the focus on his telescope. "Grab a chair and take a listen to this...  
  
"On the face of that silver sea,  
In the blinding light that gives life,  
In that sweetest blossom's nectar,  
In the serum that flows through us all,  
When the tears of the righteous quench the fire...  
  
"One will come,  
A Savior to this realm,  
With soul most dark, yet burning  
Bright with Hope.  
The Five gather with Five anew:  
A Priest, a Prophet, a Warrior,  
A Bard, a Judge  
To protect the One   
Who shall triumph over the  
Darkest Shadow,  
And cleanse the world   
Of all its evils."  
  
Sage shrugged and flipped a page of his newspaper. "Sounds like a riddle to me, Brain Boy."  
  
"Wow... Such deft and skillful use of deduction!" Ryo snorted cynically.  
  
"THAT'S what you woke me up at four-thirty in the freakin' MORNING for, Rowen?!" Kento yelled from his curled-up, nearly-fetal position on Rowen's couch.  
  
"Basically." Rowen's voice was flat with sarcasm as he threw himself into a chair. "But not only that; I rather enjoy your half-asleep, pissed-off witticisms before the sun rises, Kento." He didn't even bother adding that he could have woken them all when he'd found the damned thing at two a.m. to help him translate it from Latin... But it wouldn't have shut Kento up.  
  
"Okay, somebody's gonna get killed or at least severely MAIMED for this..." the Warrior of Justice grumbled on, ignoring Rowen, totally oblivious to the fact that no one was listening.  
  
Rowen glared at his back in annoyance. "Oh, fer cryin' out LOUD, Kento, if all you're gonna do is lie on my couch and WHINE..." He sighed. "Cye should be done making the coffee by now. Toss me the funnies, would ya, Sage?"  
  
Sage simply nodded slowly, almost absently, as if he hadn't really heard him, and grabbed the remote, wrapping a section of the newspaper around it. "Think fast."  
  
Rowen stood and fiddled with his telescope, not pausing except to stick out a hand to catch the projectile. "Thanks." He leaned down and squinted into the telescope, which was aimed for a good view of the full moon.  
  
"Odd..." The word was whispered to no one as he blinked into the view scope, realization finally breaking through his confusion. "Hey, Sage, come look at the moon!"  
  
Sage sighed and walked over, took a peek through the telescope, then stood and shrugged. "What about it?"  
  
"Uh, it's, like, bright... Really bright..."  
  
"How terribly observant of you..." Sage sighed insultingly. He raised a golden eyebrow and shot back, "So?"  
  
Rowen shook his head and sighed as the blonde started away. Sage didn't get it... Why the stark intensity of the full moon was so important...  
  
"Wait..." Sage stopped dead in his tracks as the lightbulb dimly came on. "What's the first line of that riddle again?"  
  
"On the face of that silver sea..." the blue-haired boy replied haltingly. But actually he wasn't that confused, because, as he gazed up at the moon, it made sense... "You have her number?"   
  
---------------------------------------  
  
She flopped around like a fish flung from the soothing arms of the sea into the scorching sands of the desert. Her throat felt as parched as if she'd actually spent a week in the Sahara.  
  
"Damned intrusive sunlight." The low growl sounded entirely too deep for a 17-year old girl. She frowned. "Damn, it must be early. I sound like Tim Curry from Rocky Horror..."  
  
A lopsided grin, an almost drunken giggle, and, "I'm just a sweet transvestite..."  
  
Whump-ka-thunk! Her fall to the cold floor was enough to sober her up quickly. She tiredly pushed herself from the pile of magazines she'd landed on. "Oww... I bruised my butt..." The lethargic whine was drowned out by a mechanical voice chiming from her computer, "You've got mail."  
  
"Huh?" The tiny, black-haired girl squinted up at the damned contraption as if seeing it for the first time. "Great, now I hafta find my glasses..." She crawled around on hands and knees, occasionally slipping on her overly-long hair, until she stooped before her low vanity-table.   
  
With a low grunt of effort, she slapped one tiny hand onto the table and groped for her glasses. She did not relish the thought of wearing them, but it was still too early for her to even think about messing with her contacts. "There," she growled as her fingers closed around the smooth plastic of the frames. She scooted around to prop herself up against the table as she shakily stood. "Thank God these are kinda cute..."  
  
She plopped into the cushy purple chair that sat before the glowing monitor of the digital god and let her spine sag into the furniture's curve. "Now, let's see who sent that icky e-mail!" and maneuvered her mouse to check her e-mail. "Junk...Trash... Porn... Don't want to talk to him... Porn... Trash... I'm not speaking to her... Trash... Reena!"  
  
"Let's see what she's up to!" she gleefully squealed as she double-clicked on the e-mail. //Dearest Faith -- It has been so long since I have heard from you, or you from me... Too long... I miss you. I miss your eccentric ways and the insane things you do. I wish you could be here in Japan, because I am throwing a big end-of-the-school-year party. I know you would enjoy it. Everyone is going to be there, even my classmates who I hardly know. Sophia thinks me mad for it. I must admit, I hardly know why I am going through all this trouble... I suppose it is to relieve my ennui.  
  
//But enough about that. I'm sure I am boring you. How are the States? Is the Demon-Bitch Lady treating you well? Of course, I am sure that is a useless question... But just tell me how things are going for you. I must finish this e-mail now. It is time for me to begin preparations for the party.  
  
Love, Reena  
  
PS -- Why do you insist upon addressing me by my full first name?! You know it bothers me!//  
  
Faith's smile lit up with a simple, happy smile as she finished reading it. "Reena... She sounds like she's doing okay..." Her innocent expression turned mischievous as she pulled her pajama-clad knees to her chest. "But she doesn't -know-... I didn't tell her!"  
  
She wiggled her fingers over her keyboard as if she were a master pianist preparing to play a sonata. Her tiny digits crashed down onto the keys in a flash of hyperactive enthusiasm. "Dearest Renioa... Of course it bothers you! That's why I do it!" She continued mumbling the words under her breath as she jerkily typed them. 


End file.
